


Storm With a Storm

by banjkazfan



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adorable, Cuddling & Snuggling, Everyone is adorable, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Storm AU, Storm With A Storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 10:57:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7100122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banjkazfan/pseuds/banjkazfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where Tsuna isn't afraid of storms, despite being afraid of nearly everything else.  Childhood stormy days spent cuddling with his mother lead Tsuna to share the same warmth with his Guardians.  Pretty much just pure fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Storm With a Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I found this AU on the amazing KHR AU tumblr collection, Katekyo-Hitman-AUs, and thought it was the absolute sweetest idea. The original AU post can be found here:
> 
> http://katekyo-hitman-aus.tumblr.com/post/132154327547/a-storm-with-a-storm-also-known-as-cuddles-for
> 
> This AU really spoke to me for a number of reasons. I have always loved storms, and some of my fondest memories are watching the rainclouds roll by with my father. I just moved away from home for the first time a few months ago, and I don’t see him much anymore. I guess the rain’s always made me feel a little closer to him. (Ironically, he’s currently making his way through Reborn…maybe I’ll show this to him when the time’s right.)
> 
> Believe it or not, no ships. Just plenty of platonic friendship and cuddling.
> 
> It’s pretty long, but I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> [11/14/16: Over 100 kudos?! Thanks, everyone! I'm so excited ;w;]

Sawada Nana stirred from her slumber as she heard the low rumble of thunder from outside of her window.  Blearily she turned her eyes towards the clock: 2:18 A.M.  She couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her face as she sat up and shifted towards the middle of her bed, making room in anticipation of the owner of the footsteps that she could hear from down the hall.

It was only a moment later that her door opened, spilling a tiny crack of light into the room.  Nana smiled as she saw the bright umber eye of her ten year old son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, as he peeked around the door.  He was practically vibrating in excitement as he watched her from the doorway.

“Tsu-kun,” Nana greeted.  “Come in, sweetheart.”

The door bounced open and Tsuna barreled into her room before bouncing onto her bed.  His smile was bright and infectious as he snuggled up to his mother’s side.  “Mama,” he said.  “Look outside, look outside!”  His chubby hand flew out to point at the flashing of the lightning outside.

“Yes, I see,” Nana cheered softly.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Tsu-kun?”  He nodded, nuzzling against her side and blinking sleepily as they quietly watched the storm together.  Tsuna rubbed at his eyes, trying his best not to fall asleep.

“Mama?”

“Yes, Tsu-kun?”  She smoothed a hand lovingly through his hair.

“Will you sing to me?”

Nana dropped a gentle kiss onto Tsuna’s temple, laying back on her bed and pulling Tsuna to her side.  Her fingers skimmed through the soft fringe of his hair as she began to softly hum a [tune ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPODGH-F8A0)that she had sung to Tsuna since he was a child.  As her voice carried easily over the notes, Tsuna’s sleepy eyes drooped and his head lolled slightly.  His body was completely relaxed even as the wind and the rain picked up.  By the final note of the song, he was sound asleep against the warmth of his mother’s body, and did not stir even as the lightning flashed fiercely and the thunder cracked.

_…_

Tsuna was afraid of many different things – nobody could deny that.  But for whatever reason, he held no fear of the storms that would rage outside his window.  In fact, he became excited for them.  Whenever it stormed, he and his mother would curl up together and watch it roll by.  The most exciting part for Tsuna was when Nana would have hot chocolate ready for him when he came home.  This, combined with the lights already being dimmed, always tipped Tsuna off that a storm was on its way.  A grin would light his face and he would happily accept his mug before making his way to the living room to extract their blankets from the back of the couch.

Nana never said as much, but she was pleased that there was one thing that Tsuna didn’t seem to fear.  She had selfishly wished that he could stay young forever sometimes, allowing her to continue having these tender moments with her son.  It warmed her heart when the tradition continued well into his teenage years and showed no sign of stopping.

She would tell stories sometimes.  One of his favorites was the origin of storms, borne from the raging temper of Susanowo, the god of the seas and storms.  She tended to gloss over the actual details of the legends of Susanowo, but Tsuna never seemed to notice.  He also loved it when she would sing to him, and more often than not Nana would find him asleep on her shoulder by the end of a song.

In moments like this, he could forget everything about school.  He could forget the hurtful jeers of “Dame-Tsuna” and the pain of coming home to a house without a father.  When it stormed, he could know true content with his life.

…

One day during his fourteenth year, Tsuna hurriedly rushed home, pulling Gokudera along behind him without a thought.  They were scheduled to have a study session in preparation for an upcoming test, which had left Tsuna on-edge and sick to his stomach.  But the stress of the test seemed to be forgotten at the moment.  At first, the silver-haired teen thought it was due to the impending storm.  The sky appeared ready to dump on them at any given moment, and Gokudera was in no mood to get caught in the rain.  But when Tsuna’s hand had gripped his wrist and tugged him towards the house, Gokudera was surprised by the expression on the other boy’s face.

There was pure elation written across Tsuna’s visage.

The first drops of rain had just started when they shut the door behind them.  Tsuna hastily toed his shoes off and padded into the house in his stocking feet.  “Mom!” he called.

“In here, Tsu-kun,” Nana called from the living room.  Tsuna turned to smile at Gokudera, who was removing his own shoes at the moment.  The sandy-haired boy made a signal with his hand, indicating that Gokudera should follow him into the living room.

The lights were dimmed, which surprised Gokudera.  Tsuna’s mother typically kept the house well-lit, and it seemed natural to do so on a stormy day, but nearly all of the lights were out.  Nana was wrapped in a soft baby-blue blanket and seated comfortably on the couch, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands.  She smiled at the boys as they entered, and she gestured politely at the two mugs sitting on the table.

“I knew you were bringing Gokudera-kun today, so I thought he might like some hot chocolate too,” was all she said.  Tsuna grinned and climbed up on the couch beside Nana, curling into her side and retrieving his own blanket from the back of the couch.

Gokudera hesitated in the doorway, as if unsure of what he was supposed to be doing.  He had never seen the Tenth _glowing_ the way that he was currently.  His eyes were fixed on the back door, watching the darkening clouds and the beginning of the rain.  He appeared to be in a trance, at least until he turned and looked at Gokudera with a smile.

“Gokudera-kun, come sit with us,” he wheedled.  He was wrapped in a blanket that appeared to be too large for his tiny body, but his face was still visible from under its warm depths.  Gokudera faltered for only another moment before gingerly sitting down next to Tsuna.  He was still unsure of what was actually happening and wasn’t sure of how he should take it.

All other thoughts were driven from his head when Tsuna swept the other end of the blanket around Gokudera’s shoulders, pressing him closer to the other teen’s warmth. The crocheted orange starburst pattern brushed against his cheek as Tsuna inched closer to him.  Gokudera completely froze as Tsuna’s head gently rested on his shoulder.

“T-tenth?” he stammered.  His face heated up – surely this wasn’t appropriate conduct for the right hand man to be having with the boss, and what was he expected to be doing here?

He was unprepared for Tsuna’s soft, contented sigh and his soft reply.  “My Storm should be here for the storm, right?”

Gokudera’s heart kicked into overdrive at the words.  While he still struggled with the uncertainty of the morality of cuddling with his boss, a larger part of him was absolutely euphoric that the Tenth had pulled him here to share a moment.

By the time the storm had passed, Gokudera’s hot chocolate had completely cooled and Tsuna had fallen asleep against him.  Nana softly giggled, gently rearranging her son on the couch.  She draped the blanket fully over Tsuna and tucked a pillow under his head before retrieving the mugs.  Gokudera was torn between feeling grateful for Nana’s intervention and regretful that the moment was over.

“Gokudera-kun,” Nana spoke softly, breaking into his thoughts.  “Would you mind helping me with the hot chocolate?”

“Of course,” he replied immediately.  He took two of the mugs from Nana and followed her into the kitchen.  She ran some water in the sink before beginning to wash the mugs, which she then handed to Gokudera to dry.

The third mug was in his hand to dry before Nana finally spoke up again.  “Gokudera-kun, I hope you weren’t too surprised by what Tsu-kun asked of you,” she said.  Her smile was friendly, but Gokudera could hear a touch of caution in her tone.  “I know he’s in middle school now, but storms are something that have always been important to him.  It’s a special time when he can just let go of everything that he worries about.”  Now she turned her gaze to Gokudera with that smile still on her face.  “He wanted you there because you’re important to him, too.”

The tiny smile that lit Gokudera’s face erased all doubt and worry in Nana’s mind.  She knew that Tsuna had chosen a good, trustworthy friend to allow into his life.  There were many things that she could say now, but she chose instead to take the mug from his hands and inform him that he was welcome anytime there was a storm coming.

…

It became a bit of a thing.  Every time a storm was forecast, Gokudera would find himself at Tsuna’s house, wrapped up in the same blanket as the Tenth.  There was something so warm and _safe_ about sharing that space with the other that he often found himself hoping that a storm would appear on the horizon soon.

It was maybe three months after the first storm that it happened.  Yamamoto had joined them after practice one night and found that with the impending rain he was likely to be stuck there until it settled down.  Tsuna had told him that under no circumstances was he to leave in this weather.  Gokudera had idly chided Yamamoto for not bringing an umbrella while crooning over how thoughtful the Tenth was. 

Lightning streaked the sky and Tsuna’s eyes lit up.  He immediately settled against the couch, sitting on the floor and reclining against the furniture.  He gave a little start when Gokudera draped the orange starburst blanket around his shoulders, but grinned when the other teen settled beside him as they had been doing for months.

Gokudera bristled when he felt shifting and the baseball idiot joined them under the blanket, absently sliding his arm around Tsuna’s shoulders as he relaxed against the other teen.  The blanket was barely big enough for the three of them, but they could manage if nobody moved.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Gokudera demanded, face flushing hot in indignation as he felt a surge of jealously flare through him.  This was something that _he_ was supposed to share with the Tenth, not this idiot –

“You’re the Storm, yeah?”  Yamamoto’s voice was easy as his hand shifted slightly to stretch past Tsuna and touch Gokudera’s shoulder.  “Well, isn’t Rain part of that Storm?”  He laughed and tilted his head back to watch the clouds continuing to roll across the sky.

In a twisted way, Gokudera supposed he couldn’t compete with Yamamoto’s logic.  He wanted to bluster and make a lot of noise about it, but the warm press of Tsuna’s body beside him and the gentle brush of Yamamoto’s fingers across his shoulder allowed his anger to bubble down into mere annoyance.

It was…almost nice.

This, of course, was the moment that Lambo chose to make his entrance, loudly screaming about how Lightning was part of Storms too, so Stupidera needed to move over and make room for the Great Lambo-San.

Gokudera’s blood boiled as Lambo curled up in Tsuna’s lap.  His hand was halfway to his dynamite before he got a good look at the Tenth’s face.  He was _smiling_ so much that his cheeks had to hurt, and Gokudera slowly lowered his hand.

How could he deny Tsuna when he smiled like that?

Instead, he chose to grumble about how the blanket really wasn’t big enough for the four of them and there was _no way_ he was getting closer to the stupid cow and the baseball idiot to fix that.

…

As the other Guardians began to come over more, it became a thing of normalcy.  Tsuna managed to find at least another blanket for the days that his other friends would join him on stormy days.  Who shared the orange blanket with him changed from storm to storm. 

Sometimes Ryohei would nestle under the crocheted warmth, quieter than Tsuna had ever heard him except for the occasional whispered “extreme” when a particularly violent flash lit up the sky.  Occasionally Chrome would hesitantly wrap herself in the tiniest spare corner of the blanket, as if afraid to get in Tsuna’s space.  Some days, Yamamoto would get in close, resting his head on Tsuna’s and pulling him against himself.  Once in a while, Lambo would nestle in Tsuna’s lap, quietly mumbling about how the Great Lambo-San wasn’t afraid of storms.  Many days, Gokudera settled against Tsuna’s side, enjoying the silence with his boss.  Tsuna never saw Hibari in the house, but often during storms he would see the prefect just outside of the gates, watching the sky from under the safety of his umbrella.

Gokudera often found himself annoyed by the others who would press close to Tsuna during the storms and would grumble about them the entire time – but the one he could never bring himself to complain about was Chrome.  He saw that look in her eyes.  He knew the signs of someone who was starved for affection, and he couldn’t take that away from her.  On those days, he would willingly lift up the blanket and shift to the side to allow Chrome to sandwich herself between him and Tsuna.  At first, Chrome would always fix him with a confused, concerned look, but would then grant him a grateful smile as she settled next to them both.

All in all, he couldn’t bring himself to complain too much more than the occasional grumble of annoyance.  They all seemed to gravitate towards Tsuna, wanting to be where he is at any given moment, and he could hardly begrudge them this when he was there as well.

…

Bianchi once returned in the dark of the night after hunting for new ingredients, slipping quietly into the house so as not to disturb Maman and Reborn.  The light in the living room was still lit but dimmed, and she curiously poked her head in.

A smile crossed her face at the sight.  There was a multitude of bodies strewn in the middle of the room.  At the center of it all was Tsuna, head against a pillow and body tucked under the crocheted orange starburst blanket that she had seen many times during her stay at the Sawada house.   The spiky black shock of hair belonging to Takeshi rested against Tsuna’s stomach, moving with each breath the younger teen took.  Lambo was nestled against Tsuna’s hair, fist shoved sleepily into his mouth as he quietly snored.  Sasagawa Ryohei lay against Takeshi, one arm slung haphazardly across the baseball hero’s torso and his other arm curled around Tsuna’s waist.  Chrome lay on the outskirts of the pile but was still lying with her front against Hayato’s side.  Bianchi felt warmed when she saw Hayato sleeping, practically wrapped around Tsuna with his face pressed against the younger teen’s shoulder and one arm wrapped around Chrome.  There were hardly enough blankets to go around, but they managed to make it work.  Tsuna’s starburst blanket covered (though just barely) himself, Hayato, Lambo, and Chrome.  Ryohei and Takeshi were sharing another smaller blanket that could barely cover Takeshi’s toes.  They all looked incredibly young, sleeping all piled together and without the stresses of their daily lives carried in their faces.  It was how teenagers were meant to look, she felt.

She kept completely silent as she pulled out her camera and snapped a picture.  Wistfully she sighed as she gave them all one last look.

She was grateful that Hayato had finally found a place and a Family to call his own, but a part of her ached for the moments like this that they never got to share as children.

Oh well.  These were the sorts of feelings that she would need to be able to brush off.  She hid it behind one of her usual mysterious smirks and went off in search of a frame to place the picture in.

…

Tsuna stiffened as Reborn approached their cuddle pile one day.  _Oh no…and it was such a nice thing we had, too…_

The teen’s eyebrows met his hairline as Reborn looked them over and nodded approvingly.  “Good,” he said easily, looking at the darkening clouds outside the house.  “I approve.  You’ve done well, Dame-Tsuna.”

Well, there was no way that Tsuna could let that go.  “Oh, what?  You’re not turning this into some terrible competition to see who cuddles the most with some horrible consequence for the loser?” he demanded, brow furrowing at the baby.

Reborn shrugged.  “This sort of closeness is good for Family bonding,” he replied.  “If you have good relationships with your Guardians, you’ll always be able to rely on them.”

Tsuna was surprised enough that he didn’t even protest when Reborn wiggled under Tsuna’s blanket.  At least until Tsuna tried to share it and found a gun in his face.

“Take my blanket and I’ll shoot you,” Reborn said as casually as if he was discussing the impending storm.

“ _Hieeeee!_ But that one’s _mine_!”

…

When Tsuna hesitantly approached Nana one day, his mother was unsure as to what it was he would ask.  She sensed it was important and paused in washing the dishes, flashing a smile at her son.  “Tsu-kun?  What is it?”

“Mom?”  Tsuna swallowed nervously, but pushed himself forward.  “Um…I’ve noticed that everyone sort of…struggles to share the blankets when we all come over.”  He bit his thumbnail, glancing at her.  “I was wondering if we could…ifwecouldmaybebuyeveryonetheirownblanket!”

It took Nana a moment to decipher what her son had asked of her, but when she understood she couldn’t stop a sob from escaping her throat.

“M-mom, I’m so sorry!” Tsuna blubbered, hands immediately coming up to wave the request away.  “Don’t worry about it, okay?  Forget I asked!”

“Oh, Tsu-kun,” Nana laughed, wiping away a tear.  “I’m not upset – I’m so happy that you’ve made friends!”

Tsuna’s shoulders dropped in relief as he smiled gratefully.  “Ah – thank you, mom!”

Nana smiled, embracing Tsuna tightly.  All of his life, he had been a lonely boy and it made her heart ache to see.  Tsuna had so much love in his heart to share but was never granted the chance to do so.  But now he had all of his friends and he seemed happier than he had ever been.  Nana pressed her cheek to his hair, nuzzling him in the way a mother does.

She couldn’t be more proud.

…

Iemitsu, however, was a different story.

He had stumbled home one day on one of his off-days and had seen the picture that Bianchi had taken in secret.  Tsuna had been embarrassed to see their cuddles on display, but was secretly pleased that the memory would be preserved forever.

Unfortunately, his father had seen it a different way.

He stumbled into Tsuna’s room, eyes hard as he glared down at his son.  Tsuna’s fingers tightened minutely around his pencil and it began to quiver as he tried to hide the sickness he felt in his stomach.

 “This isn’t good for a boss,” Iemitsu had complained.  “Do you even understand how inappropriate you’re being?”

Tsuna’s lips pressed together, but he did not answer immediately.  Iemitsu only shook his head in response.

“Bosses are supposed to be strong,” he said.  “And right now, you’re showing a huge weakness.”

Tsuna remained silent, silently praying that his father would leave if he just waited it out.

Iemitsu’s gaze sharpened as he got no reply.  “You’re the Boss of a Family,” he said harshly.  “You need to be a man, not a little boy hiding behind your blankets!”

As his father’s voice reached a crescendo, Tsuna’s pencil snapped in his fingers.  His teeth clenched together so hard his jaw ached, and his eyes burned as he fought off the impending tears.  God forbid that he actually cry and prove his father _right_.

Iemitsu realized that maybe his words were having an effect and decided to pull back slightly.  His eyes softened minutely as he laid a heavy hand on Tsuna’s shoulder.  “You know I just want what’s best for your Family, Tsuna,” he said, as if that dismissed everything that had transpired.  “And right now, I don’t think you know what that is.”

When Tsuna still didn’t respond, Iemitsu heaved a weighty sigh, dropped his hand from his son’s shoulder, and left the room.

For a long while, Tsuna sat with the broken pencil in his fingers, unable to ignore the hot tears stinging his eyes.

He really was nothing more than the little boy his father saw.

…

The sky was still bright and blue when Nana’s voice rang out from downstairs.  “Tsu-kun!  Come downstairs, please!  Someone is here to see you!”

Tsuna sighed, not able to bring himself to respond just yet.  He just wanted to be left alone, and he didn’t know why his mother couldn’t see that.  He turned his eyes back to his homework, attempting to engage his brain despite having looked at it for the past two hours to no avail.

He was so focused that he was unprepared for the tiny but powerful kick to the back of his head that sent him face-first into his desk.

“Owowowowowow,” he whined, rubbing the back of his head.  “Reborn!  What was that for?”

Reborn’s face was serious as he looked at Tsuna.  “Maman is calling you,” he said as if the answer were obvious.  “A good son would answer her, and you should.”

Tsuna sighed, pushing himself up.  His mother wasn’t to blame for what happened, so Reborn’s logic was sound.  He nodded in agreement.  “Alright.  Fine.  I’ll go downstairs.”

 He was surprised by the sight of all of his friends standing in the hallway, eyes resolute as they watched him.  For a moment it looked as if they wanted to speak, but nobody knew what to say.

After a moment, Yamamoto finally stepped forward.  “Yo, Tsuna,” he greeted warmly.  “You keep the blankets in the living room, right?”

Tsuna was caught off guard by the question.  “Huh?  But…the sky’s clear,” he said, feeling a little slow on the uptake.  “It’s not storming.”

Gokudera stepped in, fists clenched.  “Well, it doesn’t have to be for us all to hang out!” he said, a little annoyed that Yamamoto had stepped in first but willing to set it aside for the Boss’s happiness.  “Now come on!”

Tsuna was surprised as everyone surrounded him to usher him into the living room – Lambo, climbing up onto his shoulder; Yamamoto, an arm slung around him; Gokudera, leading the way with authoritative shouts; Ryohei, excitedly chattering about one boxing match or another; Chrome, delicately taking Tsuna’s hand to provide him comfort; even Hibari brought up the rear, murmuring that he needed his own space and that herbivores had no place to tell him what to do, even if it ended up with crowding.

In no time at all, they had their usual pile set up.  Hibari stretched out across the couch, the brand-new blanket that they had bought for him (but he had never previously used) covering his body.  Tsuna sat propped against the couch, near enough to Hibari that the other teen’s presence was a comfort but far enough away that he wasn’t likely to take a tonfa to the face.  The others all immediately piled in close, all seeking to bleed their warmth into their boss.  Takeshi’s head came to rest on Tsuna’s shoulder while Hayato pressed against Tsuna’s other side.  Chrome settled in, laying her head on Tsuna’s stomach and wrapping an arm around his waist.  Ryohei lay close by, his foot touching Tsuna’s as if to say he was still close.  Lambo yawned sleepily and burrowed into Tsuna’s hair, making a contented noise.  There were so many blankets covering them that it was hard to tell where the pile began and ended.

As they watched the fluffy white clouds roll by, Tsuna’s heart warmed.  In that moment, he realized that Iemitsu had no right to lecture him on what Family was.  Frankly, Tsuna reckoned as they all began to doze off one by one, he understood it better than his father ever could.


End file.
